Oregon's most celebrated summer event, the Oregon State Fair, kicks off today! And the Oregonian has a list of deals to make the event even sweeter.

This isn't local news (unless you consider the 4,000 light years within the context of the universe, I suppose.) But be prepared to be dazzled: astronomers discovered a planet mostly made of diamond. But, it's probably not what you're thinking. "In terms of what it would look like, I don't know I could even speculate," said Ben Stappers of the University of Manchester. "I don't imagine that a picture of a very shiny object is what we're looking at here."

The latest revenue forecast is out, showing state revenues down $200 million from the last projection. However, Oregon's rate of job growth is 13th in the nation, and our exports have been climbing through 2010 and the first half of 2011.

The parent company of the Bend Bulletin is filing for bankruptcy, and the paper's editor says Bank of America is to blame.

At Blue Oregon, Kari Chisholm draws the link between Bill Sizemore's whining about jail food and the importance of providing healthy food in our schools.

Happy Friday!

The latest revenue forecast is out, showing state revenues down $200 million from the last projection. However, Oregon's rate of job growth is 13th in the nation, and our exports have been climbing through 2010 and the first half of 2011.

The parent company of the Bend Bulletin is filing for bankruptcy, and the paper's editor says Bank of America is to blame.

At Blue Oregon, Kari Chisholm draws the link between Bill Sizemore's whining about jail food and the importance of providing healthy food in our schools.

Jeff Mapes covers the controversy in Clackamas County over the elections office's certification of a tea party-backed initiative, which also has financial backing from Sizemore funder Loren Parks.

Speaking of Sizemore, KATU's Investigative Team tackles the tough questions about what Sizemore ate while he was in jail. He claims to have been disgusted by the unhealthy choices available at the jail, but then ate his fill of blueberry danishes and Snickers from the vending machines.

In other news: Our friends at Economic Fairness Oregon have been chosen as a finalist for the Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award. The prize, given by Consumer Reports, includes $25,000 for the winning organization. Please vote to support Economic Fairness Oregon (EFO) here (scroll to the bottom of that page).

It's Thursday!

Jeff Mapes covers the controversy in Clackamas County over the elections office's certification of a tea party-backed initiative, which also has financial backing from Sizemore funder Loren Parks.

Speaking of Sizemore, KATU's Investigative Team tackles the tough questions about what Sizemore ate while he was in jail. He claims to have been disgusted by the unhealthy choices available at the jail, but then ate his fill of blueberry danishes and Snickers from the vending machines.

In other news: Our friends at Economic Fairness Oregon have been chosen as a finalist for the Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award. The prize, given by Consumer Reports, includes $25,000 for the winning organization. Please vote to support Economic Fairness Oregon (EFO) here (scroll to the bottom of that page).

The Oregonian runs an article about legislators going to China for a business trip, and taking their families along. But taxpayers aren't paying for families to travel, according to the seventh paragraph.

The Oregonian runs an article about legislators going to China for a business trip, and taking their families along. But taxpayers aren't paying for families to travel, according to the seventh paragraph.

In their efforts to get an anti-government measure on the county ballot, the Clackamas County Americans For Prosperity got a big hand from Nevada millionaire Loren Parks, and what appears to be one big assist from the county clerk.

This afternoon, Clackamas County Elections Clerk Sherry Hall announced that a Tea Party-backed county initiative had received enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

That was a shock to many observers, because just last week the elections office announced that two statistical samples of the signatures came up short—meaning there weren’t enough valid signatures to qualify.

In their efforts to get an anti-government measure on the county ballot, the Clackamas County Americans For Prosperity got a big hand from Nevada millionaire Loren Parks, and what appears to be one big assist from the county clerk.

This afternoon, Clackamas County Elections Clerk Sherry Hall announced that a Tea Party-backed county initiative had received enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot.

That was a shock to many observers, because just last week the elections office announced that two statistical samples of the signatures came up short—meaning there weren’t enough valid signatures to qualify.

So what changed between then and today? It seems that County Clerk Hall directed her staffers to do a do-over, and allow back in signatures that they had originally rejected.

"We didn't go clear to the end," Hall told the Oregonian. "As soon as we got the one more that qualified, we stopped."

The office allowed in 36 signatures that they had originally rejected. Because of the statistical sampling used to check signatures, those 36 names equaled more than 300 additional signatures that would have been originally rejected.

The initiative would limit the ability of the county board of commissioners to set up urban renewal districts. Commissioners say that could threaten the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project.

In the last few weeks of their signature gathering, the campaign brought in $5,000 from Loren Parks, who has long bankrolled Bill Sizemore’s initiative campaigns.

The Associated Press reports on a few of the measures that may make it to the 2012 ballot, including an initiative that limit the ability of public employees to participate in the political process. The AP story neglected to mention that the anti-union initiative is the product of Bill Sizemore.

The Associated Press reports on a few of the measures that may make it to the 2012 ballot, including an initiative that limit the ability of public employees to participate in the political process. The AP story neglected to mention that the anti-union initiative is the product of Bill Sizemore.

13-year old Savanna Coen, of Eugene, got the thrill of her lifetime. After snagging backstage passes to a Buddy Guy concert, to profess her admiration and get an autograph, the teen was invited by Guy to join him on stage at his Roseburg show last week.

13-year old Savanna Coen, of Eugene, got the thrill of her lifetime. After snagging backstage passes to a Buddy Guy concert, to profess her admiration and get an autograph, the teen was invited by Guy to join him on stage at his Roseburg show last week.

American Banker shows how small business owners are being hit with a double whammy--they've been hit by the foreclosure meltdown, and now they can't access credit at a time when the troubled economy has slowed sales.

The Oregonian issues a couple of big corrections to Jack Roberts' defense of Bill Sizemore.

Happy Friday!

American Banker shows how small business owners are being hit with a double whammy--they've been hit by the foreclosure meltdown, and now they can't access credit at a time when the troubled economy has slowed sales.